The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 8,000 for the first time since the latest outbreak began, according to government data released on Monday.
The latest situation report from the country’s public health institute put the number of confirmed cases at 8,067, with 3,901 deaths recorded.
The outbreak is now the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record, after the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed over 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has long been associated with some of the deadliest Ebola outbreaks, which have claimed thousands of lives. The country has also emerged as a major epicentre of the latest outbreak, with cases reported across borders.
